Miss Evans Has Agreed to Return Next Fall
by Mia M. Turner
Summary: Sharpay didn't just agree to return to East High's drama department to spite Tiara. Something far deeper had captivated the blond the night of the musical. Sharpay/Rocketman, HSM 3 spoilers.


**A/N: **Yes, I am finally reverting to calling Rocketman "Jimmie" in this, simply because I am sick of my word processor automatically converting it to "rocketship". Bah.

I know this is pretty darn similar to the last Jimmie/Shar fic I wrote, but I got a lot of emails and PM's saying I "teased" everyone with only little glimpses of romance in the last fic, so I figured I'd give ya guys what you want. So here it is: a full fledged both-sided Sharpay/Jimmie. I also felt like Sharpay's reaction was not _nearly_ strong enough when getting rejected for the scholarship, so I wanted to try a bit more of a realistic take on it. Unfortunately, I feel like this is really rushed. Let me know what you think.

For those of my readers who are waiting for more Troypay, I'll write another one soon; I promise! ;)

As always concrit is openly appreciated and welcomed. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't won High School Musical.

She wanted more than anything to be happy for him.

Well, _completely _happy for him.

There was no amount of disappointment in the world that could keep Sharpay Evans from being unbelievably proud of her twin brother.

She just wished she could be _elated_ for him. It was one thing to be proud. Another thing completely to be _elated_. And try as she might, Sharpay couldn't get the sting to go away.

She wouldn't be going to the school of her dreams. Even worse, her best friend, her partner, her protecter... was going to school on the other end of the country.

Sharpay paced silently across the empty stage. The musical had long since ended. The rumble of the last car pulling out of the parking lot had faded at least half an hour ago. She had told Ryan she would catch up with him several minutes before. Now there was only the dim emergency lights illuminating the stage. Sharpay looked to her left, and then to her right. She was finally certain she was alone.

So she walked out to the middle of the stage and did something she'd never done with such intensity before.

She screamed.

Certainly she'd thrown fits before, but this was different. Every last feeling she'd been holding in the entire year finally came out in one long scream of pure, agonizing pain.

Any and all hopes of winning Troy over were gone. She'd lost her chance to perform in the musical. She didn't get the scholarship. She and her brother wouldn't be together every day anymore.

The more she thought of it, the heavier the tears flowed. It wasn't fair. Everyone around her was so happy. They were so overjoyed to be graduating, going off to their dream schools, being with their stupid boyfriends, she thought bitterly.

She found herself clutching tightly to her skirt until her knuckles turned white. She needed some way... _any_ way to make the pain go away. She continued pacing, punching and kicking any set or wall that she came near. Her limbs were starting to ache and she was getting a pounding headache, though she decided she would rather feel that pain for the rest of her life than what she was feeling inside now.

In what was supposed to be the most exciting time of her high school career, Sharpay felt only unrivaled sadness.

She slowly crouched down into a little ball in the middle of the stage. The year had been a complete disaster, and she wanted nothing more than to let it all out with a good long cry that she was too afraid to have in front of her friends.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She knew she'd have to get out of here soon; Ryan would worry, or the janitor would come in and yell at her eventually. She slowly stood up, ready to head off the stage. Maybe Ryan would let her spill her feelings.

'No...' she decided. That wasn't fair to him in the least. Not when he was so happy to have the scholarship. She couldn't live with herself if she made him feel guilty over it.

She sighed and took one step off the stage.

It was as far as she got before she nearly jumped out of her skin.

She was stunned to find she wasn't alone.

Standing there, looking completely dumbstruck, was none other than Jimmie Zara. Sharpay's jaw dropped. She was certain she had been alone the entire time. Just how much of her little breakdown had he seen? Sharpay narrowed her eyes.

"Can I _help_ you?!" she snapped. Jimmie reeled back a bit at her outburst, but spoke up.

"I-I saw you hang back when everyone started leaving and I was worried about you."

Sharpay's expression softened a bit... Was he insinuating that he actually... _cared_? Someone besides Ryan was actually _worried_ about the ice queen? She quickly shook it off and scowled again.

"It's _none of your business!!" _she yelled, her shrieks echoing off the theatre walls. Jimmie cringed at this, but kept moving closer to the stage. Sharpay was taken aback.

What was wrong with this kid? Intimidation was Sharpay's one surefire way of making sure no one got close to her, and yet here was this obviously insane freshman getting _closer_ to her the louder she yelled.

In fact... Sharpay had to admit...

She was almost scared.

Almost.

She took a few steps back until she was against the set. Jimmie noticed her sink a bit. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, Shar. We're friends, remember?"

Sharpay was stunned for the second time. Friends? He was prepared to call them _friends_? When she was always bossing him around? Calling him stupid, gross, and annoying, among other insults? Sharpay began shaking a bit. What was she so afraid of, she wondered?

A lightbulb seemed to go off at that instant.

He was getting too close.

And aside from Ryan, she didn't let _anyone_ get this close.

"...You wanna talk about it, Shar?" he asked gently, not moving from his almost uncomfortable distance from her face. Sharpay shuddered. She didn't want to tell him. She _couldn't_. She willed herself not to look into his eyes, knowing she would spill every last detail of her troubles if she did.

No such luck.

She found her eyes being drawn to his. Everything seemed to fall out of her mouth after that, albeit in an almost undistinguishable whisper.

"It's over."

Jimmie did a double-take at this. "What?"

"It's over. My hopes of getting Troy, going to my dream school, going to college with my brother... It's all over..." Sharpay hung her head and felt her tears returning. "I've wanted to so bad to tell someone how I've been feeling... So _bad_ to get someone to just _help me_, but Troy refuses to talk to me and _Ryan..._" she had to stop for a sob at this. "I could _never_ burden him with all this... Not when things are going so great for him." Sharpay buried her face in her hands as she began crying heavily.

Jimmie only shifted from foot to foot, wanting to do something to comfort her. He looked down at his feet as he thought. Sooner than he knew what he was doing, he slowly raised a hand and brushed a few bangs from Sharpay's eyes.

Her sobbing stopped as she abruptly snapped her head up to look at him. Jimmie winced. He'd heard stories about Sharpay's legendary temper, and he figured he was about to get a taste of it himself. He suspected her own _brother_ probably needed permission before touching her. He mentally slapped himself. '_Stupid Jimmie, STUPID.'_

Sharpay was having a peculiar mix of feelings as well. Her instinct was to hit or push him away, yell at him, and go running. Somehow though, she found herself glued to her spot. Maybe even a little out of wanting to see if he'd go farther?

She shook that thought out of her head quickly. No. She was _not_ falling for _Jimmie_ of all people. Not a chance in Hell.

Jimmie relaxed a bit as he noticed Sharpay hadn't reacted. He twisted his mouth in thought, considering what else he could do to make her feel better. All ideas seemed to be going way too far.

As he thought over this, he was surprised to feel her tiny arms wrap around his waist tightly. He looked down at her. Her eyes were shut tight and she seemed to be clinging for dear life as more tears fell. A few awkward seconds later, he slowly hugged her back.

"What's wrong?'

Sharpay sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Just... you actually _care_. I guess I'm kind of blown away by it... Someone actually truly cares. And I don't deserve it... Not at _all..._" Jimmie sighed, wondering what he could possibly say to that. Of course, he felt that was _way_ off the mark. In his mind, she deserved it all and more. But not a _chance_ was he going to tell her that. The outcome of doing so was extremely predictable, and it wasn't a pretty result.

He didn't feel he knew Sharpay's pet peeves well enough to know what would set her off, though. So with a shaky hand, he gently stroked the back of her hair. To his surprise, Sharpay seemed to be calming down. Despite it all, she found herself getting mildly irritated. She couldn't, no, she _wouldn't_ fall for him. She refused to let herself.

"Shar, listen... Troy's crazy to not even look at a girl like you. He... He doesn't define you, Shar. You're still pretty and talented a-and--" he trailed off as he realized what he was saying. He had to be going insane... He looked down to see her reaction when she didn't do anything. He could have been imagining things, but he could _swear_ he saw her blushing despite her irritated disposition.

Things seemed to be going well anyway, so he decided it wouldn't hurt to go one step further. He reached down and took her chin in his hand, moving her face up to look at him. Sharpay's eyes widened as she began to quiver.

She couldn't....

There was no way....

She wasn't--

Maybe she was a _little--_

"You're amazing, Shar. Anyone who can't see that is blind."

Nope, that was it. It was over right there; she had officially fallen for Jimmie 'The Rocket' Zara.

Jimmie wasn't quite sure what had come over him, either. He was the over-the-top new kid and she was the popular queen of East High School. He never imagined he could even get close enough to Sharpay to say more than a few words to her, and somehow he found himself standing alone with her, a hand gently wrapped in her hair, wanting nothing more than to tell her how crazy he was about her. She was unattainable, so how was it that he found himself where he was now?

It couldn't possibly be happening... He wasn't holding her so close. Wasn't leaning in closer to her. Wasn't seeing _her_ lean in closer to _him_. Wasn't watching the most beautiful girl in the world close her eyes and pout her lips out.

A moment of hesitation...

And then pure happiness.

Sharpay smiled lightly through the kiss. The pain she had so been searching to get rid of was finally a thing of the past. And it had come from the most unlikely of sources.

She felt as though she was floating when she felt a soft hand caress her cheek. All thoughts of Troy, Julliard, and the musical were gone. The world was no more; it was nothing but the two of them at this moment.

When they finally pulled away, Sharpay's cheeks were burning red. Jimmie couldn't help giving her a quick chuckle at that.

"I guess now would be a weird time to tell you I love you..."

Sharpay laughed softly through the last of her tears. "You have a real knack for cheering people up." she muttered. "So I must be crazy too, because I love you back." Jimmie smiled at her before his face fell again.

"Only problem is--" Sharpay shushed him before he could finish.

"I'm going to the U of A," she assured him. "I promise to come back in the fall to help with the drama department. Until then, my dorm's only a few short miles away." she finished with one of her famous smirks.

Jimmie smiled again. "Can't wait to see you again."

Sharpay rolled her eyes and tugged him along with her by his sleeve.

"There's still one week until graduation, you know. Plenty of time to hang out."

Jimmie laughed as he caught up with her and put an arm around her waist. One week was good enough for him.

Because with Sharpay, time stood still.

And for once, unpopular won over unattainable.


End file.
